


A Night Out

by princepipper



Category: Thornville High School
Genre: Gen, pip and gabe are aro ace but partners, swag and one are boyfriends!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:08:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24413356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princepipper/pseuds/princepipper
Summary: This is a short story involving some characters from the THS fandom.  The THS fandom is actually a bunch of ask blogs (that haven't been active for years now) and original characters created by many different people.  This story includes:Gabriel Kell, AKA One, and his counterpart "Scary" Gabe.  The creator of these two is @Owlapin.Oliver Reed, AKA Swag.  The creator is @Miaoumint.Lastly, there's Pipper Hughes, who is my persona!This story focuses on Gabe and Pip's relationship as they go to a dance.  I don't know how enjoyable this will be to read to most people, but regardless, I enjoyed writing it.  Thanks for reading!!
Relationships: Gabriel/Pipper, Swag/One
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	A Night Out

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to the creators of the OCs in this fic for letting me write them in here!! Go follow Owl and Mint on Twitter!!

Pipper stood in front of the full-length mirror in her bedroom and carefully smoothed out the wrinkles on her pink dress with her hands. 

It was unusual for her to get dressed up like this. Pip was not the formal type, but tonight was different. Thornville was hosting a dance for its residents, that is anyone who was over the age of twenty-one. At the high school where Pipper and the rest of her peers used to attend. The reason was unknown, maybe it was just to let adults have a fun time. After all, it seemed that the youth of that town were always in the spotlight. Pip remembered all the shenanigans that occurred when she was a teenager, with One, Swag and Gabe. Back then there were more friends, but now that they were all in their twenties, many had moved on to other towns and out of her life. She still had those three, however, and she was grateful for it.

Pipper gave a small smile to her reflection, and turned the light off in her room, exiting it. She walked downstairs, and was met with Gabe, who looked a little bit put off being in a suit. His eyebrows were furrowed and he had a lopsided frown, playing with his undone tie. 

“…do we have to go?”

Pip blinked at his quiet remark, and she quickly shook her head. 

“Of course not. Do you want to stay home?”

Gabe shifted on his feet, finally meeting eyes with her, “I just… thought you wanted to. But I don’t like this kind of stuff.”

Pip hummed, understanding. Gabriel was not the kind of guy to go out and socialize, much less to go out, socialize and  _ dance _ . As a matter of fact, Gabe had enough trouble talking to people he only ever spoke with Pipper, his father, and sometimes a co-worker or two. So to go out to a party and be surrounded by music, laughter and people was not really an ideal situation in his eyes.

“You don’t need to worry about me. It’s not the dance I care about- I wanted to spend some time with you.” Pipper said.

Gabe didn’t answer, and Pip slowly approached him. She gently grabbed his loose tie and pulled it off his shirt, making Gabe stare at her.

“I don’t know how to tie these things either,” she said with a laugh, “We don’t need to worry about it. Or the dance. But…”

She looked up at him with her brown eyes and grinned, “…there’s a free buffet waiting for you if you do go.”

Gabe pursed his lips and blushed a little, but then he returned her grin, showing off his teeth. 

“…ok. We can go.”

***

When they arrived at the school where the dance was being held, they immediately noticed someone waving to them at the entrance. 

“What took you slowpokes so long? Too much making out in the car?”

The loud voice carried over the faint sound of dance music emanating from the hall, and Pipper gave a sigh in exasperation. “Come on Swag, can’t you give us at least one day off from your teasing?”

Swag gave his proud smile, hands on his hips. He looked rather dapper, hair combed back and his blue glasses propped up on his head. He, like most of the men there, was wearing a suit, but it was clearly one that cost a pretty penny. Swag was known to go all out in showing off.

“Oh, I forgot. You two babies never haven’t even had your first kiss! Well, no time like the present. Go ahead, I’ll stand guard.”

“Swag!!” Pip scolded him, and Gabe looked at his feet in embarrassment.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. You’re a hands-off kind of couple. Anyway, One’s already inside probably stuffing his face. Let’s find him before he gets too fat to dance with me.” Swag said, waving his hand in motion to the front doors.

Inside the school gymnasium, the music immediately grew louder, enough to make Pip’s body feel the vibrations of every beat. The truth was, she herself didn’t really care for dancing either… she’d never gone out to clubs or had partners to dance with other than Gabe. It was like she’d said- tonight was an excuse to spend time with him, and she intended on doing so. Then she realized Gabe had already wandered off towards the buffet, and she smiled, shaking her head. She could see One there as well, him and Gabe briefly meeting eyes before ignoring each other. The two didn’t really get along… they’d also grown out of fighting each other, thankfully.

Pip looked around and saw Swag hitting it up with some of his friends near the drink table, which was littered with various beverages both alcoholic and… well. Not. She knew Swag would only be drinking Pepsi though, as usual.

“Hi Pip.”

She snapped out of it to see One was now in front of her, a plate of food in his hand. 

“Oh! Hi One. Having fun?”

“No. But I’m eating food, so I guess it’s fine.” He said, smirking a little.

Pipper laughed. “Swag mentioned dancing with you.”

“Of course he did.”

“Will you?”

“If it makes him stop whining at me, I’ll do anything.”

The two shared another laugh, and as if he’d been summoned, Swag popped up behind One.

“Did I hear something about a dance?” he asked, making baby doll eyes at One.

“I’m EATING. Go dance with someone else until I’m done.” One huffed, and Swag groaned in annoyance, before looking at Pip. She flinched, knowing what was coming.

“Ok Pip, let’s dance this place to the ground while our dumb boyfriends get fat.”

“You already made the fat joke-“

“SHUT UP AND DANCE WITH ME.” Swag yelled, poorly matching the notes of the song by Walk The Moon.

Swag dragged Pipper by the arm to the centre of the dance floor as a more mellow song played, and he moved his hands so that one rested on her waist and one in her own hand. He knew she was unsure of what to do, so he took the lead and began to playfully rock them both from side to side.

Pip smiled at him and he smiled back, glancing towards a table where Gabe sat, still eating.

“How do you put up with him, Pip?”

Pipper blinked, following his gaze, “…ah. Well, it’s taken a long time to figure out how he works.”

“I meant more… shit, Pip, he used to hurt people. Aren’t you worried he might snap into one of those weird moods again?”

Pip lowered her head a bit, thinking, “Gabe has changed a lot over the years. He’s better at caring for himself, both physically and mentally. Even if he did have another bad spell, I don’t think it would ever compare to what he used to be like.”

“But if something did happen, and you got hurt…”

“Is that what you’re worried about?” Pip gently squeezed Swag’s hand, the two of them now dancing more naturally, “I’m ok, Swag. You and One always look out for me, but I promise I know how to keep myself safe. If Gabe ever made me think he’d hurt me, I would leave right away. No excuses.”

Swag took a deep breath, before his smug expression returned. “Ok, Princess Pip. I’ll take your word for it, but I also promise to kick his ass if he tries anything.”

“Please don’t kick my boyfriend’s ass.”

The song then changed again, to something a little too energetic for Pip’s tempo. She let go of Swag, but gave him a cheerful look. 

“That was fun! I’m going to go see if Gabe is doing alright, but we should dance more often.”

Swag crossed his arms, looking around. “Fine… I’ll see if One is done eating the entire buffet yet.”

She giggled, waving to him and heading towards the small table where Gabe sat. 

His plate was pretty much empty, aside from a couple shrimp shells. Pip pulled a chair up and sat next to him. He gave her a tiny smile, and she snorted, seeing he had a bit of sauce on the corner of his lips. 

“You missed a spot,” she said, picking up a napkin and rubbing it away for him.

Gabe grunted, scratching his cheek with his index finger sheepishly. He looked happy though.

“Did you have fun dancing with Swag?” he asked, and she shrugged.

“He used it as an excuse to lecture me about the dangers of dating someone, but otherwise it was fine.”

“…I’m not even going to ask what you mean.”

“That’s for the best, I don’t want to dampen the mood.”

She paused, looking down briefly. She then returned her attention to the man in front of her.

“…do you want to dance, Gabe?”

He flinched, a slight grimace stretching over his lips, “Um. No. But I’ll watch you dance if you want to.”

Pip smiled knowingly, nodding.

“That’s nice, but… like I said, this night is for us to spend time together. If you’re done eating, why not go for a walk?”

“Walk? Where?”

“Around the campus! For old time’s sake. Also… we can get away from this noise and crowd for a little while.”

Gabe shrugged, not particularly concerned either way. He supposed getting out of the noisy hall would be nice, though.

“If you want to.”

***

The school’s empty hallways seemed so much smaller to Pipper than she remembered. It’d been years since either her or Gabe had been there, and it didn’t look like much had changed… the paint was the same, and the lockers… the only things that were different were the posters scattered on the walls. Pipper and Gabriel walked together, examining these things in silence. They had their little fingers intertwined, something special that they did- neither were comfortable with holding hands or touching. But that was a small gesture that made them both happy.

As they strolled, Pip stopped walking as they approached a glass display, full of past graduates, special awards, and fond memories of the school. 

“Hey, Swag’s picture’s still here.” she said with a laugh, pointing at a small photo.

Gabe peered in, and sure enough there was a photo of a young Oliver Reed, clad in his old pink sweater vest and favourite glasses. He was making a peace sign in the photo, though if Gabe remembered correctly, Swag had said something about initially flipping off the camera before getting yelled at by a professor. Beneath the photo were small letters that spelled out “Best Friend Award 2014 – Oliver Reed”. 

“I thought only you and One were his friends.” Gabe said, and Pip looked at him.

“Swag’s got more friends than just us. He’s pretty popular! That’s why he was nominated that year, he ended up having lots of votes cast for him.”

“Oh.” Gabe answered, and he looked down at his feet, “I think I prefer having one friend. At least right now.”

Pip smiled, humming a bit, “You do what makes you happy. I’ll stick by your side no matter how many friends you decide you want.”

“I’m just not sure other people want to be friends with me.”

Pip was quiet at that comment. It was true… due to Gabriel’s past, he had a bit of a bad reputation with the other youth in town. People their age remembered him as “scary Gabe”, someone who used to have fun tormenting other people. His mental health had a bit of a rough patch when he was a teenager, and, as evidence by the conversation on the dancefloor, even One and Swag were hesitant about Gabe being around sometimes. 

Pip was the only one who really cared about him, like he was a normal person anyway. Underneath that awkward and antisocial personality, Pipper knew Gabe was a good guy. If you asked her, she could go on and on about everything she liked about him. From his mannerisms, like how he’d twiddle with his fingers when he was anxious or excited, to his personality, his silliness and funny grin. His appreciation for the things she did, like the dinners she’d cook and the drawings she’d make him. The way they stood up for each other. Pip knew Gabe tried so hard to be a good boyfriend, and he did it for her… how could she not love him for that?

“…Pip? Uh. Are you ok?”

Gabe’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and she blushed a little, before looking at him.

“Yeah. Let’s keep walking!” she chirped, and Gabe blinked, but agreed shortly after.

***

By the time the two were done wandering and returned to the dance hall, it seemed like things were still in full swing. Pipper spotted Swag with his hands on his hips, glaring down at One, who had fallen asleep with his head on the table. She wondered if they ever got their dance.

She yawned a little, turning to Gabe.

“I think I’m about fed up here… wanna head home?”

Gabe nodded immediately, and she laughed. She waved to Swag, who waved back lazily, rolling his eyes with a small smile. With that, Pip and Gabe left the dance, got in the car and drove back home.

Their house wasn’t much- it was actually Pipper’s home and had been since she was a child. Gabe only moved in a few years ago, after the two had decided to become partners only another few years before that. The house was in the same neighbourhood that Gabriel himself had lived his whole life, with his father. Sometimes the man would come visit them, always seeming mildly impressed that his own son had a regular life and a girlfriend. Gabe’s mother, on the other hand, had never been seen since a small incident with Pipper occurred back when they first started dating. The two women did not get along well, and as it was his mother didn’t much care for Gabe either. So, away she kept, much to the two’s relief.

As for Pipper’s parents, well, the house belonged to her mother, Iris, who had died when Pip was young. With her father never in her life to begin with, she lived off of the money left behind for her, and had a guardian who checked in now and again. Now that she was grown up, she was on her own, but thankfully she had a new family… and she hoped to keep it for as long as she lived.

The car pulled into the driveway of the little house, and Pip and Gabe got out, heading inside. The minute the front door shut, they both sighed.

“We were only there for a little while and it still felt like forever.” Pip said, kicking her shoes off.

Gabe flopped on the sofa, fiddling with the buttons on his dress shirt as he did the same, “…well, not to sound rude, but you’re the one who wanted to go.”

“Ahem. You agreed to the buffet, mister.”

Gabe grinned. “Yeah. It was good.”

Pip plopped down next to him on the couch and gave him a knowing smile, before stretching her arms above her head. 

“The night is still young… what do you want to do now?” she asked.

“Maybe make a sandwich or something.”

“YOU’RE STILL HUNGRY??” Pip exclaimed, and Gabe snorted.

“I’m just joking. I wanna go to bed.”

Pip nodded, but before Gabe could get up, she gently tugged on his shirt to stop him.

“Do you mind if I snap a quick picture of us? It was a nice night. I’d like to have something to look back on.” she asked, a little shyly.

Gabe slowly sat back down with a small “Ok.” And Pip pulled out her phone, holding it up and she set the camera.

“Ok, smile!”

Gabe did so, and she took the picture. 

“There, don’t we look cute! Another one for my photo book.”

Gabe looked to the side, still smiling, “You sound like my grandma.”

“Oh, shush. Didn’t you say you were going to bed?” she scolded, and he gave an exaggerated frown before getting up and heading to his room.

“Goodnight.” He called, and she returned the favour.

As the door to his room shut, Pipper flipped through the photo album on her phone, smiling gently at each one. There were quite a lot, she realized, having collected them over the years. The first one was always funny to her- it was from when they were teenagers, not long after they’d become friends. Pipper was in the front of the photo grinning, while Gabe was in the back with a reluctant and awkward face. As the pictures progressed, so did their comfort with each other. Pip grew softer and more mature, Gabe grew braver, happier and into a fine young man. As she reached the last one, the picture she’d just taken, she blushed a little before turning the light’s out and heading upstairs to her own room.

It really had been a nice night.

  
  



End file.
